Loved the world building in this one, especially the diversity of the characters. Eager to see where the author will take this story in the sequel. A definite addition to the collection.

I need book 2 in my hands immediately!! Vampires, cinnamon roll heroes, heists, adventure and fantastical world building?? 100% yes!

🧛🏻‍♂️ Vampires
🫖 Tea
🫶 Found Family
🎢 Emotional Rollercoaster
🩸 Bloodhouse
🔐 Secrets
🖤 Romance

This was such a fun read and amazing start to the Blood and Tea duology! I can’t wait to see what Hafsah Faizal will brew up next!

Method Read: 📖 & 🎧

Thank you Farrar, Straus and Giroux and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copies!

While I own other books by Hafsah Faizal, this is my first read from her. I really enjoyed this! I really connected with, and enjoyed reading from the lens of, the main character, Arthie. I loved the way she was characterized, and we follow her as she runs a tea house for vampires with her brother. The heist component of this book was really fun, and I had a fun time reading about the shenanigans that ensue. I do wish we got a little more time to stew in the world-building and learn about the different characters--I almost feel like the story was too fast in some spots. The romance also suffered from how fast this seemed to move. Because I didn't really know the characters that well, and the pacing was so fast, the romance wasn't really given time to develop and ended up feeling a bit tropey/cringey. I enjoyed the narrative voice of this story, but I do wish we could have gotten more depth--the very beginning and end were great, but the middle felt at times very surface-level. This wasn't a bad story by any means, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have.

A Tempest of Tea was released about five days ago and I meant to read and post this sooner. But I'm very bad with deadlines.
Without further ado, here are my thoughts.

The things I liked:
☕The plot twists that came in one after the other in the latter half of the book were wholly unexpected even though enough hints were dropped. I should have seen them coming!

☕I love that not all the adults and family figures in this book were evil. Not everyone is out there to get you. Some people are kind.

☕The diversity?? Loveee! The crew is from several different backgrounds.

☕It was very clear way that history shapes this fictional world. There is a thread of colonialism, the brutality it brings, etc and it is well executed. Reminds me of Babel, which is also a great read.

☕The premise of it does remind me of Six of Crows. It's not a bad thing at all. That kind of story formula is just my cup of tea 😏

The things that felt like they needed improvement:
☕Some of the dialogue felt awkward and unnatural. I just knew there was info dumping that needed to happen.

☕It was hard to believe that Arthie is a force to be reckoned with, given that there were lots of telling and not a lot of showing. It was here and there but the telling overshadowed the actual times she showed her strength.

☕This is what really bothered me: the romance felt off . . . The barest hint of a love triangle that didn't fit in the story. At least, for me. It wasn't articulate how/why Arthie would connect to one of the two interests. As for the one she does connect with, it didn't feel like it was enough to warrant the interest she did have in him. (I did like him, though. He just didn't get enough of a spotlight and I'm sad about that.)

Overall, liked the characters a lot and I do want to continue the duology.

🌟🌟🌟💫/5

Hafsah Faizal has quickly become one of my favorite new young voices in YA fiction, blending unique world building with intriguing diverse characters that keep you invested from page one. A Tempest of Tea is no exception, introducing us to a delightful cast of characters, a blood room for vampires masquerading as a tea shop, PoC vampires, and a heist targeting a colonizing empire.

Where this book has its strengths is absolutely in its diverse lead characters that Arthie gathers around her, both to run her tea shop, Spindrift, and to successfully pull off this heist. From Arthie herself with her quick wit and calculating nature and her adopted brother Jin with his suave cunning, both are out to save their shop and ruin Etenia, the colonizing country that ruined their lives in one way or another. Then there's Flick, so lovable and naive and desperate to be loved as their forger, and Matteo, the flirtatious vampire artist and their inside man... And the mysterious Laith, a hashashin from far away who brings this heist to Arthie in the first place. Their dynamic, apart and together, are all SO MUCH fun, and no narrative seems to be neglected for another.

The heist itself was actually a bit of a low point for me. I found it a bit too rudimentary and unremarkable. But all of that was saved by the existence of those character interactions and the plot twists at the end - one predictable, and one absolutely not. I'm SO hyped to see where the second book goes after that cliffhanger ending!

Hafsah Faizal is among the best Fantasy writers out there at world building, probably because she somehow manages to create an intense and often brutal atmosphere that somehow fuses together with a sense of place that feels cozy in the best way.

The juxtaposition of a tea shop with a vampire feeding outlet is perhaps the best literal example of that, but the whole book seems to work comfortably within these two evocations of sense of place.

The book also has an intriguingly nuanced cast of characters, where the line between hero and anti-hero (or should I say heroine and anti-heroine) often blurs in a way that both makes you think and leaves you appreciative of a writer who never keeps it all neat and clean but gets you fully on board with a protagonist who makes some decisions you might not like very much.

Great stuff, and I’m eagerly looking forward to the second book in the duology. And in case it wasn’t apparent from the title, you’re going to need to brew some tea to drink while reading this one. Specifically some Ceylon tea.

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Romance

Thank you for the E-ARC @coloredbooktours @fiercereads.

SYNOPSIS: The streets of white roaring is all too familiar with Arthie Cassimir and her infamous Tearoom (spindrift)that transforms into an illegal blood house at night ,Arthie is forced to strike a deadly deal as everything she has worked for is at stake,as she joins forces with her dream team to infiltrate the impossible (read a high security vampire society) she can’t shake off the feeling that perhaps her crew isn’t as tenacious and trustworthy as she presumed,as alliances change and new bonds form, Will arthie risk it all? Everything is fair in love and war and well this is ………

Let me not go into nitty gritty details because this book is definitely a force to reckon with and people who love a bit of fantasy ought to read this one,also @hafsah Faizal what have you done maam ,you are telling me I need wait with bated breath for part two because ,what was that ending ,why,WHYYYY![cliff hanger alert]

1. Perfect for the fans of SOC×Mistborn trilogy with hints of peaky blinders energy,this book is literally the drug that quenched my thirst and filled the void that Six Of Crows duology left! I am super glad that this book happened to be the solace I was seeking for some time now, action packed with full on drama and entertainment perfectly blended with hints of romance and elements of paranormal, what more could I ask for, this book is literally that perfect cup of tea on a rainy evening.

2.The BIPOC representation in the book was legit *chefs kiss* ,again ,its been a while since I felt like I went on an adventure especially being a south Asian at times I feel like I am missing out on all the fantasy fun but its books like these that make me feel seen and heard,SOC duology did it for me and now I am super glad I found `blood and tea duology’.

3.Okay so everytime I have read SoC I constantly wanted a female character to be as cool as Kaz brekker I mean our bastard of barrel has got the swag and GUESS WHAT,My prayers have been officially answered,Arthie Cassimir &Kaz Brekker could literally pass off as siblings,I mean the brains,the scheming,the ruthlessness,the swagger,weapon of choice (read cane/pistol)
The refined aristocratic air and polished looks, Aaaarghhhhhh Arthie Cassimir has it all baby!!!
4.FOUND FAMILY, I swear I am a sucker for this trope, always and forever, yessss this is it.
I mean, desperate times, desperate measures and an adversity brings people closer together.
No, not a trauma bond but the fact that you chose to trust someone with your life even when things haven’t worked out before with other people in general but these little band of misfits are the closest you will ever have to a family& to officially feel the warmth of love is truly *heart eyes *if you ask me.
5.what is important for survival?
what is so refreshing about freedom to choose and ability to express yourself and when it comes to being a women ,what is all the social constraints that prevent you from being your true self, I just love to see a wall flower bloom and Flick my girl, you and Arthie are definitely polar opposites but whatever you both are made of ,at your core, is essentially the same, I wouldn’t be lying if I tell you guys that you would be introduced to bad ass female M.C’s

6.Okay I am being biased I always talk about women, why would I choose to forget Jin’s Charm or Matteo’s talent or even Laith’s deadly looks, if you ask me to choose between the three of them, I will definitely be in a pickle, I will let you in on a secret, Jin, well let’s save him for someone, shall we??! but between Mr Artist and Mr Deadly looks, I wouldn’t know what to go for, sigh

7.ROMANCE, yes you have breadcrumbs of it, throughout the book, just enough, just the way I would like.
(ALSO, IF YOU DON’T LIKE A MAJOR CLIFFHANGER IN THE END, WELL, DON’T SAY I DIDN’T SAY I DIDN’T WARN YOU.)
P.S please let me know when the second part is gonna be out ,please
Trust me, this is a fantasy nerd right here, suggesting a 5/5 read;Happy reading!

3.5/5 rounded down

“Every good love story starts with a bullet to the heart.”

I have some mixed feelings about this one, but overall I mostly enjoyed! The beginning started off strong and I immediately loved Arthie, the main character. She’s witty, strong-willed, and she runs a tea house that caters to vampires by night with her brother, Jin. When a mysterious figure arrives one night with an offer Arthie can’t refuse, she gathers a group together and heist shenanigans ensue.

Strangely, once the story picks up I became less invested. Everything was a bit too fast-paced and I wasn’t able to connect with any of the side characters. There is a ton of romantic tension, but again it felt too fast and I didn’t know anyone well enough to strongly root for their relationships. I enjoy some good romantic tension, but it can’t be used as a replacement for character development. Around the 75-80% mark I was pulled back in and the last 10% was great, but the impact would have been stronger if the rest of the book wasn’t so surface level.

I haven’t read the Sands of Arawiya duology yet, which is set in the same world, but I had no difficulties understanding the worldbuilding. I thought the setting was really fun (at least Arthie made it fun) and I appreciated the anti-colonial themes and the mysterious villain. And of course there are plenty vampires!! Despite some of my issues with this one, I’m still excited for the second installment and can’t wait to see how this story continues.

TW: Colonialism, blood (drinking...this is about vampires), parental loss

Wow, that ending has me just flabbergasted! Oh my god! I think the last 10% was like the craziest wild ride, my heart was beating so fast!

This was my first book of Hafsah Faizal, though I've meant to get to the Hunt the Flame duology like forever but just haven't, but anyway I found myself really enjoying her writing style. A Tempest of Tea has a Peaky Blinders feel to it, Arthie actually has a signature baker boy hat she wears all the time. But more than the clothes and time it just had that feel to it that there's something ELSE going on than the main story like Peak Blinders did and I really enjoyed that.

Vampires are known and walking freely amongst humans but they unless they are rich they are shunned a bit. I found this refreshing from other vampire stories where they keep their statuses hidden and even then they are almost always rich and powerful and all knowing type beings. I enjoyed the heist aspect of Tempest as well. There was so much delicious tension gearing up and planning and executing it and just waiting for any little thing to go wrong was so nuts. Hafsah's characters were fantastic, Arthie and Jin's relationship was heart melting, Flick was so relatable, and let's not forget Matteo's sassiness...just amazing! I did not feel the chemistry between Arthie and Laith, that's the only complaint I really have. But I did like his cat so his character is some what redeemed.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one and will be waiting on pins and needles for the sequel. Tempest ends on a HUGE cliffhanger so beware! Thank you so much to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for providing me with an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

A Tempest of Tea is a fantasy set in the fictional country called 'Ettenia', which is inspired by England (in its coloniser era).

Our fmc, Arthie is a South Asian character who runs a tea house known as Spindrift where tea is served and secrets are exchanged, in the heart of a posh area called White Roaring along with her brother, Jin, who is an East Asian orphan. Both of these characters have suffered by the hands of the colonial state of Etenia.

Spindrift is on the edge of falling and so Arthie begings gathering her crew of misfits, Mateo, a vampire, Laith, a soldier of Arawiyan descent and Flick, the not so innocent lady turned forger to carry out a heist.

A Tempest of Tea was an absolute treat to read, with its vivid settings, steamy chemistry, and banter, which made me laugh out aloud and clever writing with even sharp-witted characters.

If you're into colonialism, vampires, diverse characters, and are a Six of Crows fan, then this one's for you.

- A TEMPEST OF TEA is the best kind of heist story. Set in a fantasy world, a ragtag crew comes together, each with their own motives (and desires).
- I love the characters Faizal has created. Everyone has an agenda, but they come to care for each other, sometimes to their own detriment.
- And the action! I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. I cannot wait for the second book.

It took me a while to get into this, but once I did, I enjoyed it! I thought Faizal did a great job with the worldbuilding, and I loved the tea shop. The heist was a little underwhelming but overall this was a fun fantasy read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this novel. 4.5/5 stars.

Oh my GOODNESS. Okay, so, TBH I really wasn't a fan of Faizal's We Hunt The Flame duology...BUT THIS?? It was so good. The band of misfits making a found family. The twists and secrets and someone always one upping another. The world building. The characters? The slight tension and good lord some of the STEAM (nothing explicit, but....there were some lines where I was like SIR. MAAM).

It's fast paced and keeps you turning the page. I was utterly hooked. Also, the cliff hanger????

Oh, and vampires.

It's a YA Fiction that matches Six of Crows in expectations and delivers. I loved the writing and the pacing. Few of the plot twists in the second half were nicely done and the characters have so much to offer. I need a few chapters from Laith and Mateo too. Arthi is a well executed YA character who might remind you of Kaz at times but it's Jin who wears his personality a lot more. The cliffhanger is massive and waiting for the next book is going to be really difficult.
One thing that didn't work for me was the romance, YA fantasy authors are overdoing the love triangle plotline now and I need it to stop.

I received an ARC of A Tempest of Tea from Netgalley and am leaving this review voluntarily.

Having read and loved Hafsah Faizal's Sands of Arawiya series, I was expecting great things from A Tempest of Tea and it did not disappoint. This book was everything I was promised, and considering how rarely that's happened lately, I'm so glad that this book came through.

Hafsah Faizal creates characters that leap off the page with their personalities, quirks, and secrets. They are vibrant and alive. Mostly. (I had to throw in some vampire humor. Sue me.) I will be the first to admit that vampires are usually not my favorite supernatural creatures to read about. The blood-drinking makes me uncomfortable, and often, it is so glorified that it feels like the author is forcing you to view it as a good thing despite the fact that most of their vampire characters have committed atrocities that they don't own up to. I didn't feel that was the case here. I think the author did an excellent job of having the characters feel their remorse and acknowledge that what happened was wrong, which I really appreciated.

Honestly, all of the characters were great. The plot was great. I loved the heist and getting to see quite a lot of the planning phase, which is usually very glossed over. Of course, I want to get to the action, but when the action happens, and I have no idea how we got there, for me, the heist loses a lot of its credibility. That was not the case in A Tempest of Tea. We got to see the planning. We got to see the pieces fall into place. And I couldn't get enough. I adored how everything came together in the end.

I will say, though, that I spent a decent amount of time confused, and that's why I couldn't give it the whole five stars. There was something about how some parts were written that interrupted the flow of the story to the point where I didn't understand what was going on or how we got to where we were. I had to reread multiple parts, seeking clarification I never found. And the romances felt off as well. Not enough to take away from my enjoyment of the story, but they were stilted, and I didn't really understand how they came to be.

Despite those two things, I really did enjoy A Tempest of Tea, and after that ending, I'm incredibly excited for the next book.

I was sooooo excited for this book. It’s definitely giving Six of Crows. That’s accurate. Where it falls short…the heist and vampires.

I’m a heist girlie. Give me a heist plot and I’m ecstatic. Is there heist planning? Yes, almost the first 60% of the book is the misfit team planning. The actual heist was maybe 10% total and extremely underwhelming. When it’s all said and done, the so called “heist” was basically unnecessary. I can’t say why without spoiling it. The lackluster heist was not at all worth the 60% build up. Not to mention, the first 10% of the book was interesting, but when it gets into the heist planning, it wasn’t really exciting.

Vampires are apart of the larger story arc, however, they’re not really actively present in a meaningful way. It’s more that we know about their existence and the plan to steal from their elite community, but there just wasn’t a major vampire presence/threat. I’m assuming because it’s a duology, maybe they’ll be more prominent in the sequel, but I expected more in book 1.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced eARC.

A Tempest of Tea was a fun fantasy heist novel that sometimes struggles with its pacing. But overall, it was a delightful novel to read.

3.5, rounded up to 4

Arthie Casimir runs the Spindrift, a teahouse by day, and bloodhouse by night, servicing the city of White Roaring's human and vampire population. With her crew, she's powerful and filled with secrets—until she learns that the city's ruler is gunning to shut her operation down. Worse, vampires are going missing. But if Arthie wants to save her home, she's going to need a crew.

There were a lot of things that worked for me, and so many that just didn't land. And I couldn't quite put my finger on why they didn't land.

The world-building is fascinating. Vampires and humans and a city that is the capital of an empire, with heavy analogies to England and its empire and the East India Company. The teas created are described so beautifully, and when the book began I was certain that this was going to be a five-star read because of how beautiful the prose was and how invested I was.

Except my fascination bled out somewhere around the 50% mark, as the plotline devolved and I realized that the relationships, while chock-filled with backstories, just weren't hitting. The relationships felt forced (especially that love triangle), and the machinations were...I dunno. Also, there were a few plotlines that didn't really jive together—the Calibore subplot, for example. And as for the vampires, I wanted MORE.

I think this is another book that should have been aged up to adult instead of YA.

But also, rounding up to four stars because it was a quick and fun and had so much potential.

A Tempest of Tea, by Hafsah Faizal, is the first installment in the author's Blood and Tea duology. If you liked the thrill ride of Six of Crows, you will want to read this book. On the streets of White Roaring, Arthie Casimir is a criminal mastermind and collector of secrets. She runs Spindrift, a tea room that doubles as a bloodhouse for vampires with her adopted brother Jin, who like Arthie, is an orphan. It's not exactly legal, but Arthie holds enough of people's secrets that the authorities haven't been able to get to her yet.

Even when Spindrift, (once a museum known as the Curio boasting artifacts stolen from the colonies), is raided by the Horned Guard, they are always just a minute or two late from catching Arthie breaking the law. But when her establishment is threatened by the monarch called Ram, Arthie is forced to strike an unlikely deal with an alluring adversary to save it—and she can’t do the job alone. Arthie, who is Ceylani, watched her people as they were slaughtered by Ettenia colonists. She was the only survivor. Arthie likes to stir up chaos to get her revenge on the people who wronged her.

Before she ran Spindrift, she was an orphan on the streets picking the pockets of those who could afford it. It is there that she discovered Jin after his home was burned to the ground leaving them both as orphans. She is also the girl who planned a brilliant scheme where she pulled a pistol called Calibore from the stone. Calibore is no ordinary gun. The gun can change into any weapon of her choosing and can kill anything—even a vampire. Arthie's mission is to infiltrate the vampire underground compound called Athereum, run by Penn Arundel, steal the ledger, and guarantee that Spindrift doesn't face any more threats.

Arthie's crew includes Jin, Arthie's most trusted partner in crime, Matteo Andoni, a vampire and shameless flirt who has a delightfully obvious crush on Arthie, Felicity "Flick" Linden, the adoptive child of a female government official who only cares about her public image and very talented at forgery, which she has put to use numerous times. Then there is Laith. Laith is a high guard captain, the complete opposite of Arthie's profession, and the unlikeliest member of their group. He is also mysterious which makes Arthie uneasy as much as it attracts her.

What becomes clear during the heist, is that not everyone is on her side. As the heist progresses, Arthie finds herself amid a conspiracy that will threaten the world as she knows it. Not only will Arthie find out about trusting people, but her own secret will be revealed, and the consequences will linger until the finale is released. It is especially dangerous that vampires have been taken and disappeared. There are so many threads that you have to weave and yet are left with a stunning cliffhanger ending.

*Thoughts* Even though there are clear similarities between Arthie, Kez Bekker (Six of Crows) and Severin (The Gilded Wolves), she's intelligent and sneaky, but also loyal and fiercely protective. I did not read the author's two previous novels, but I understand that if you pay attention to who Laith is and where he allegedly comes from (Arawiya) you might find a connection. Arawiya is a country that is said to have been under a curse until recently. A country that has not fallen to the colonists of Ettenia. One could compare Ettenia to the United Kingdom and The East India Company in this book called East Jeevant Company.

"No," he whispered back. "Destroy me."

I am absolutely living for this quote, fam.

I had so much fun with this book! Sure, it's very YA, the FMC has purple--excuse me, mauve--hair (lmfao), every major reveal was pretty obvious, and the schoolkid crushes were ingratiating to the point where my retinas would've detached if I rolled my eyes for the umpteenth time.

But!

Despite all of that, I still loved the characters and the setting! Also, y'all, I love vampires so I'm biased to all hell.

Arthie, Jin, Laith, and Flick each had their own unique personalities and I'd love to be friends with the gang. For a YA novel, everyone actually reads age-appropriate, which, oddly, isn't usually something you find often. (Teens usually read way too young in the YA fantasies I've been reading lately).

I loved how this is unapologetically BIPOC, with a lead FMC from a colonized nation, Ceylan, living in the colonizer's land, Ettenia, and finding success on her own terms by creating and running a teahouse/bloodhouse. I would absolutely love to read a prequel about Arthie's past. I want her as my ride or die, no lie.

I loved the setting! While I would've loved for a unique world that didn't have to rely on terms in our own world (sari, qipao, etc.), it's totally fine. This isn't high or epic fantasy.

I know this book is only about Ettenia, but the inclusion of Arawiya (which is from the author's other series, which I DNF), and learning about Arthie's childhood in Ceylan, makes me wish for more geopolitics on a grander scale.

But despite that, White Roaring reads like a fantasy Victorian London. So, it feels very familiar despite being set in a fantasy world. I'm also a huge fan of fantasy Victorian England settings, so I might be a little biased here.

Actually, this entire world is a thinly veiled colonial era England, complete with its very own British East India Company. So, if you know your world history, it's very easy to draw comparisons.

There are a couple of quotes/excerpts that I really liked that touched on colonialism:

"She'd [Arthie] spun a business out of tea leaves because the Ettenians had found her tiny island of Ceylan and cultivated it to their liking. What lives the Ettenian soldiers in red uniforms hadn't stolen were claimed either by disease or deforestation that spawned landslides and floods in a country unprepared for such wrath, simply because they wanted to make room for crops like rubber and tea."

"They collected trophies for civilizing countries that had never asked for a redefinition of the word."

Anyway, I'm so glad I snagged a signed Waterstones SE before they sold out!

I'm excited to read the next installment!

Thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) and NetGalley for this arc.